Days Until Tomorrow
by Liz Hollow
Summary: All I can do is count the days until I see him again, but it always seems that tomorrow is too far away. [A series of drabbles chronicling May's journey across Hoenn.]
1. 1 to 4

**1. Cold**

It was cold the day I left home, which my mom told me was unusual in the Hoenn region, and it was cold again the day I was told to meet Steven Stone.

"Steven?" I questioned, holding the letter cautiously in my hands. "Where in Dewford is he?"

The president of the Devon Corporation, with a grin that spread across his face, shrugged. "I couldn't tell you. It'll be up to you to find him. But oh!" He reached into his pocket and slid a small electronic device across the table. "For you. I'm counting on you, May."

I nodded.

* * *

**2. In a Name**

"Do you know Steven Stone?"

"The name sounds familiar, but I'm not sure."

"Excuse me, sir, do you know where I can find Steven Stone?"

"Never heard of 'im."

I approached person after person in Dewford to no avail. No one seemed to have any idea where Steven Stone currently resided. It made me wish I hadn't agreed to find him.

"Steven Stone? Isn't he the—"

"You best check Granite Cave. With a name like that, he's bound to be looking for rocks."

I wasn't sure a name had anything to do with interests; after all, I hated May.

* * *

**3. Stones**

I hugged my arms against myself, the dampness and darkness of the cave making it uncomfortable. Why did I sign up for this?

But as I headed further into the cave, I couldn't see a thing, so I had to suffer the cold and use my hands to guide me. The walls were rough, and I felt my skin splitting.

I tripped over a rock in the path, falling onto my knees. _Damn stones_, I thought, and I stood and brushed myself off. After all this, the suffering I had to endure for a letter, I prayed Steven liked Stones.

* * *

**4. The Light at the End**

After limping through the cave for ten minutes too long, a tiny light appeared before me. I hurried towards it, hoping for good news because I really needed some.

"Steven?" I shouted, and my voice echoed. "Steven Stone?"

The light didn't get much brighter, but it filled a small alcove where a silver-haired man stood. He didn't react to the sound of my footsteps.

"Please tell me you're Steven Stone."

The man, perhaps no older than twenty-six, turned around, a red ruby in his hand. When his gaze met mine, he smiled. "You're in luck. How can I help you?"

* * *

**Author's Note:** This is my first time dabbling in the art of drabbles. I'm not entirely sure I'm doing this right, but each part is indeed 100 words long.

Um, so, yeah. I think I'll do four drabbles in each chapter. My plan is to write one hundred drabbles for a total of twenty-five chapters, but I don't know if that will actually happen or not. I'm just winging this, I think.

In celebration that Steven Stone is returning to ORAS.


	2. 5 to 8

**5. Letters**

"I have a letter for you," I mumbled, avoiding his gaze as I held out the folded envelope. When he grabbed it from me, his fingers slightly brushed mine, and I retracted my hand.

"Well, thank you, Letter Delivery Girl," Steven Stone said with a laugh, but I continued to stare at the ground. It wasn't like this was my job.

"Just that one…" I sighed, putting my hands in my pocket. "Sorry for bothering you."

"Here!"

I turned around slowly, but a disk flew at me so quickly that I almost missed. "Two letters for you to consider: TM."

* * *

**6. Age But a Number**

It wasn't like I hadn't received a TM before or didn't know what they were. I got one from Roxanne and had found a couple abandoned on the road.

But I turned this one over in my hands as I sat in the Pokémon Center, holding my fingers to the rounded edges. If it was sharper, it might cut me.

I didn't like him. He patronized me, hadn't he, and treated me like a little girl?

I was almost eighteen, and technically seventeen had made me an adult.

With a roll of my eyes, I pocketed the TM once again.

* * *

**7. Strength**

Brawly was strong—physically, I would say. He was a fighting-type Gym Leader, after all. How else could I describe him?

And his Pokémon were certainly strong. They were the reason he was who he was.

But my team beat his. I wasn't strong; I was a tiny girl, and I always had been. Strength between the two of us didn't matter because, if it did, I would lose every time.

What made some teams stronger than others if it wasn't the trainer? What was strength?

I wasn't sure I would find out, but I kind of wanted to know.

* * *

**8. Delivery Girl**

Maybe Steven Stone wasn't far off. I wasn't delivering another letter, but a package wasn't so different.

Strength, it could be, meant bravery. That was why I was delivering _this_ package, after all, because I was brave enough to fight Team Magma.

Again and again and again, it seemed.

I didn't exactly sign up to be Delivery Girl, the superhero from Littleroot, but somehow I couldn't help but smile at the thought. That was pretentious of me, but no one else was stepping up to the plate.

Deep down, though, I was no hero because I wasn't brave at all.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm, like, trying to remember when certain events in the game happen. "Does Team Magma/Aqua show up here? Wait, maybe this is actually at the end of the game…" The struggle. This is why I need remakes.


	3. 9 to 12

**9. Friends**

All of my friends were back in Johto, but since leaving home, I hadn't heard squat from them. Then again, I had made no effort to talk to them either.

And I didn't exactly have friends here. There was Brendan, the annoying boy next door, and Wally, the cute but frail boy my dad made my problem.

But I didn't laugh with them the way I could with real friends, if that was what real friends did. They were more like… people I must be nice to if I wanted to protect my dad's reputation: two pains in my ass.

* * *

**10. Homesick**

I missed my mom and dad, I was forced to admit. On my way to Mauville, I met Brendan again, and then I saw Wally in the city. I hated to say, but they reminded me of my dad, which made me think of home.

It wasn't my house in Littleroot that I thought about, though; it was my house in Johto. I missed coming home from school and seeing my mom and dad.

I hadn't even beaten my third gym yet, and I was already thinking about going home.

Things were easier when I was younger.

Less lonely, too.

* * *

**11. Another Day, Another Worry**

I wondered what Team Magma was up to as I was battling Wattson. That probably wasn't what most people did while challenging a gym leader, but I wasn't most people.

For some reason, I had this crazy, and stupid, idea that they were my problem. The superhero persona I somehow created, which was ridiculous anyway, was starting to go to my head.

I blamed Steven Stone. I had to blame someone.

It was dumb, and I knew it well. But the fact was, it had been quiet for a little too long. And it was always quiet before the storm.

* * *

**12. Defenestration**

It was wrong of me to blame Steven Stone for anything, but my hand always went to the little pouch on my bag with the TMs whenever something went slightly wrong.

I didn't even know the guy, so how could I blame him for anything?

I had the bad habit of tossing the blame around, which I knew and could admit. Still, sometimes I wanted to take that blame and throw it out a window, and maybe I'd stop thinking about it _and_ Steven Stone.

But if I did that, I would harp on it. I knew myself too well.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Ah, defenestration. I taught that word to one of my classes, and they thought it was the coolest thing.

It's, like, my goal to upload a chapter every day, but we'll see. I probably won't on Sunday because that's my birthday (which is also Father's Day in the US, funnily enough). And then I'm going on vacay two weeks from today (for ten or so days), so no uploads then.

BUT with those exceptions… every day?


	4. 13 to 16

**13. Warmth**

One thing I liked about Hoenn was how warm it was. Johto was nice, but even winters could get brisk.

But I kept thinking back to those two cold days, the day I left and the day I was told to find Steven Stone, and realized why those two days stuck out in my mind: they were different than the norm, not just two more days out of the 25,000 we lived.

So, although it was a pleasant spring day climbing Mt. Chimney, I couldn't help but wish it was cooler.

Summer was coming, though, so it probably wouldn't be.

* * *

**14. Water**

I _knew_ that Team Magma would show themselves soon, and I _knew_ that I would be there when they did.

Meteor Falls was beautiful, and it wasn't fair that they should desecrate it just by being there.

And then, out of the blue, a group called Team Aqua showed up. At least they were trying to stop Team Magma, but I wasn't about to start trusting them either.

They did say keep your friends close and your enemies closer, but I had no friends and my enemies were trying to destroy the planet.

Maybe I'd just leave Magma to Aqua.

* * *

**15. Dog**

Damn extremists were starting to piss me off. All I wanted to do was go to Lavaridge. Was that too much to ask?

And, _and_! That stupid scientist was too cowardly to go retrieve his own damn meteorite. Come on! He was a middle-aged man. Was he really sending a teenage girl to fight the bad guys?

I was a delivery girl once more… Or perhaps I was more like a dog playing fetch.

"Go get the meteorite, May! Good girl! Good girl!"

So, it was another trek back up Mt. Chimney for me. Maybe afterwards I would have peace.

* * *

**16. Fire**

It was hot. My clothes were damp with my sweat, and when I wiped my forehead with my arm, it just made it worse.

I could hardly _think_ standing next to that boiling pit of lava, and Maxie was standing there blathering on and on about something. I was going to pass out. At least I already beat him.

It was all I could do to grab that meteorite and scram when Maxie, and then Archie, finished his speech.

Once I made it to Lavaridge, I was going in the hot springs. No more Delivery Girl, thanks a lot, Steven Stone.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm actually thinking that one hundred of these might be a stretch, plot-wise at least. It's not like I want to drag this out longer than it needs to be, you know? But we'll see. One hundred words is a lot less space to get things moving than you think it is.


	5. 17 to 20

**17. Relaxing**

I never thought I would enjoy a bath so much. I dipped into the hot spring and sighed so dramatically in pure bliss that it was like a scene out of a movie.

"Ah, adorable."

I opened my eyes to see a pair of old women staring at me and crossed my arms defensively over my chest. They both giggled and moved a bit closer to me. I didn't want to admit that I was uncomfortable, but I was.

"Your big sigh just now," one of them began, "was adorable. Long day?"

They smiled, so I smiled back. "The longest."

* * *

**18. Young Love**

"That sounded like exasperation from lost love," one of the women, she with her hair pulled into a bun, remarked.

"_Me_?" I demanded, as if she had spoken to anyone else. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no. Not me. No, I've never been in love."

The women smiled at each other. "Why, by your age, I was already married. To be young and in love again, I tell you…"

Maybe I _needed_ her to tell me because I really _didn't_ know. But I was perfectly content with the way things were, as long as stupid Team Magma left me alone.

* * *

**19. Trying Too Hard**

"I guess I was trying too hard," Flannery, the Lavaridge gym leader, told me when I defeated her. "I tried too hard to be someone I'm not."

That was funny and a little baffling. My dad always taught me to try hard when I was growing up. What did it mean to try _too_ hard?

When was I trying too hard? How did Flannery know? Was it the exhaustion of it all, like after the Mt. Chimney situation? Or was it just the stress that pretense brought with it?

"You battle like Norman," she concluded.

… Just like my dad.

* * *

**20. Fathers**

Perhaps that was my pretense. My dad had taught me how to battle, after all. It made sense that I would battle just like him.

But I would never admit that to anyone, so I tried really hard to be different. Yet after all of my attempts, apparently I was still the same.

Well, he was my next gym challenge. A visit home was overdue, and I might as well challenge him while I was there. We would settle the score then, find out who was the stronger of the two of us. And I hoped that I could win.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm thinking that it would be awesome if this site had the scheduling feature that some other sites (like deviantArt) had. These chapters are obviously quite short, so I can write a few per day, which obviously gives me a bit of a buffer. I would be totally good to post chapters while I'm on vacation if they had a scheduling feature.

Ah, well. A little suspense will be good for you all when the time comes.

Also, if you want to give me a swell birthday gift, considering dropping a review! I would definitely appreciate it, as it will help me improve (especially since drabbling is new to me).


	6. 21 to 24

**21. Subconscious**

My hand was on that pouch on the side of my bag with the TMs in it once again. I couldn't explain why it made me feel better to know that the unused disk was still there, because it didn't make any sense, but it worked.

And I couldn't explain why I was so worried about going home either. Not too long ago, I thought that I _wanted_ to go home. Of course, I had been tired, and things on my own certainly weren't easy.

A visit would be nice. That was all I needed. My mind would clear eventually.

* * *

**22. Visitor**

"Mom! I'm home!"

I kicked my shoes off and walked into the living room, throwing my bag down onto the couch and looking around the room.

"May! I'm in the kitchen!"

I broke out into a skip, sliding to a stop in the archway to the kitchen. When my mom turned to face me, I practically tackled her and buried my face in her shoulder.

"I've missed you."

My mom smiled at me and held me away from her. "Your father and I are so excited that you're visiting."

_Visiting_. I wasn't sure that I liked the sound of that.

* * *

**23. Advantages and Disadvantages**

The trainers at the gym all knew me, even though I had only been to it once. My dad had an old picture of me on his desk, apparently, that was ten years old. My front teeth were missing in it.

But they recognized me, and they didn't like me.

I didn't blame them. I could understand their frustration. To an outsider, it looked like I had a bit of an advantage being the gym leader's daughter.

Well, I had a feeling that it was actually a disadvantage. He was bound to give it his all if it was me.

* * *

**24. Victory**

"S-sorry, Dad," I muttered, lowering my head. My fingers instinctively went to the pocket on my bag.

There was a burst of laughter from him, and my gaze shot back up to his face. He grinned at me, his hands on his hips. "Are you joking, May?" he questioned, though not harshly. "That was great! As a gym leader, of course I'm upset, but…"

My cheeks burned. "But?"

"But as a dad? I'm proud of you. Although I can't help but feel this means my little girl doesn't need me anymore."

The pocket again.

I needed him. I always did.

* * *

**Author's Note: **There's definitely insecurity in growing up. Let me say that much.

I'm trying to write these, right? But I've been writing them by hand before I type them (and then I put them all in separate documents), so I'm constantly like, "What number am I on?" I just checked the next chapter and found out I had the same numbers as in this chapter. How embarrassing.


	7. 25 to 28

**25. Birthday**

"Happy birthday!"

I barely walked into my house on my way back from shopping before my parents were shouting this at me. My dad was holding a small wrapped box, and my mom was balancing a birthday cake on her hand.

They ushered me into the house and gave me practically no time to take off my shoes before sweeping me away into the kitchen. My mom lit the eighteen candles on my cake and pushed it towards me.

"Make a wish."

I squeezed my eyes shut like a child and extinguished the tiny flames to my parents' terrible singing.

* * *

**26. Presents**

"Open your gifts, May."

My parents gave me a few small presents: a bracelet, a new bag, some clothes. But they saved the one my dad was holding for last.

"It's nothing much," he insisted.

And it wasn't really, but it was special to me. It was a new gym badge case, one of those fancy ones for really dedicated trainers. To an ace trainer, it probably wasn't much. But I loved it.

"Thanks, Mom! Thanks, Dad!"

"Ah, no, it really isn't much," my dad assured me once again.

My mom sniffled. "We just can't believe our baby is eighteen."

* * *

**27. Wishes**

It was funny that my dad brought it up without even knowing my wish.

"You could be the next Champion, May," he told me, and I knew he believed it. "The rate you're going…"

But it was just a dream for me, something that wasn't totally realistic. "Nah," I shrugged. "It's one thing to try to go for eight gym badges…"

"You know who the Champion is?"

"Some rich kid from Rustboro, I heard," my mom interjected.

"Well—"

"It's fine. If I meet him, I meet him; if I don't, I don't."

"You will." My dad grinned. "You will."

* * *

**28. Good Intentions**

Wally was a good kid, so I felt bad for his parents that he had to be shipped off to live with their relatives. It wasn't like me; I chose to leave.

They had good intentions, though, so I could respect their decision. But I couldn't help but feel like an unplanned liaison between them and Wally. Yet another job for which I hadn't signed up.

"How was he when you saw him? Good?"

"Mmm," I hummed in response, and his parents exchanged a glance. Didn't they talk to his aunt and uncle? "He's fine. I'm sure he'll be okay."

* * *

**Author's Note:** It would have been funny if I posted this chapter tomorrow on my birthday (ah, but I'm not turning eighteen). I already have the next chapter written (and a couple after that), so I probably will still update tomorrow, anyway, even though I said I might not. It depends on if I turn on my computer tomorrow or not, haha.

Anyway, thanks for everyone who has read up to this point! I hope you're liking it!


	8. 29 to 32

**29. Inexplicable**

I hoped, when Wally's parents handed me the Hidden Machine for Surf, that it would have the same effect on my mind as the TM Steven Stone gave me. But it didn't, though I didn't know what I expected.

It didn't make any sense… it really didn't.

When I opened the pocket of my bag, the sun caught the TM, and light bounced off the glossy surface into my eyes.

I exchanged disks, holding Steven Stone's TM firmly between my fingers, so close to snapping it. Why did I even need it?

But I put it back in again, anyway.

* * *

**30. Stop and Stare**

I had just turned around after returning my Marshtomp to his Poké Ball when I saw a familiar, though not very, mop of silver hair approaching from the tall grass.

I froze when Steven Stone emerged from the brush, and as he looked up from dusting himself, he stopped, too.

The moment that followed was awkward. We both stared at each other, though I was not sure why, but neither of us said a word. I thought about turning and leaving, but my legs wouldn't move.

It was thankfully a short moment, since he smiled and managed a, "Hi, there."

* * *

**31. In a Name (Pt. 2)**

"Hi," I mumbled back, and I was just about to start walking again when he spoke once more.

"It's nice to see you again, um…" He paused, and with an embarrassed smile, whispered, "I don't think I got your name last time, Delivery Girl."

I wished he wouldn't call me that.

"It's May."

"No, it's only April." He chuckled, but when he noticed that I never laughed, he frowned. "Sorry, that was bad. But in all seriousness, I'll be sure to remember your name next time. May _is_ my favorite month, after all."

Next time? Would there be another one?

* * *

**32. Philosophy**

"You're a trainer, right?" Steven Stone asked, and I nodded. "Good, good. Well, listen, I have a question for you. What's your philosophy as a trainer?"

"Philosophy?" I repeated, my hand moving to the pocket on my bag. "I… I don't think I…"

He smiled, waving his hands as if signaling defeat. My gaze was drawn to the silver rings on his fingers. None on his left ring finger, though.

"Sorry. It's not my place to ask." His expression softened when I looked back at his face. "I'll let you go. I hope to see you again, May. Good luck!"

* * *

**Author's Note:** Whoa, did Steven actually return to the story after so long? Haha, sorry. The length of time between the player's first meeting with Steven and the second is quite long.

Today's my birthday! So, if you want to give me a nice "gift", please leave a review/favorite/follow! That would certainly make my day! :) Thanks for reading thus far, and I hope you choose to continue!


	9. 33 to 36

**33. Hope**

_I hope to see you again, May_, Steven Stone told me. He _hoped_ to see me again.

And earlier in our conversation, however one-sided that conversation really was, he said that he would remember my name _next time_. If it was up to him, he would… want to see me again?

Ugh, but who said that I wanted to see _him_ again, anyway? Wasn't that a little presumptuous of him? Or… or…

Crap.

I was aware that my hand was back on that stupid pocket as I walked aimlessly through the tall grass, but I didn't let go this time.

* * *

**34. Short-Lived**

Route 119 was _long_, and I was already tired. It didn't help that it was pouring, so my clothes were completely soaked through. Anything soluble that I had in my bag was certainly ruined.

A large building rose on the horizon like the sun, and I practically sprinted for the chance at shelter. I barely glanced at the sign, which noted something about the weather, before pushing the double doors open and entering.

I sighed in relief at the wonderful dryness of the space… until I saw a man in a red suit out of the corner of my eye.

* * *

**35. Again**

As far as coincidences went, this was the worst of them, and to be honest, it was getting a little ridiculous. Why couldn't they just stay defeated?

"Enough is enough," I muttered to myself, and I stomped towards the Team Magma grunt. Like I ever really had a choice.

"Hey, you!" I shouted to his back, and the man jumped and glanced over his shoulder at me. "You want to tell me what the hell is going on here? What business does Team Magma have at a weather station?"

"Weather Institute, actually. But it has nothing to do with you!"

* * *

**36. Funny**

I didn't expect to be laughed at after taking out all of the Team Magma grunts, but that was exactly what happened. Their admin threw back her head when she saw me and cackled like I was the funniest thing she'd seen all day.

"You're messing with _us_? Oh my, you're so cute, you're disgusting!" she spat, and I narrowed my eyes. "I'll show you who you're messing with, darling."

She laughed all the way through our battle and all the way through her defeat. "Don't think this is the last you'll see us, kiddo," she warned. "We'll be back."

* * *

**Author's Note:** And inside her head, May is screaming, "NOOOOOO, go awaaaaaay!"

Thank you for the birthday wishes! I appreciate it! :)


	10. 37 to 40

**37. Problem**

Team Magma had made their business mine. It didn't have to be that way; they could have picked anyone else. But they messed with me, so they were my problem now. And I was finally okay with that.

That lady laughing at me really pissed me off.

They would be back again, sure, but when they returned, I would be ready for them. I would take them down again and again if it meant stopping them. I was sick of seeing their tacky red costumes.

It was a bother, but if it had to be me, I would finish this.

* * *

**38. May**

The scientists at the Weather Institute were nice enough to lend me a bed after the Team Magma fiasco, so I slept for as long as I could in their break room. After a shower the next morning, I felt good as new, until I walked back outside into the rain again.

It was the first of May…

See, _this_ was the reason I hated the month of May. The expression said, "April showers bring May flowers." But it was May, and it was still raining. It was a betrayal.

At least there were only thirty more days until June.

* * *

**39. Exchanging Pleasantries**

As if the rain was not miserable enough, Brendan showed up right across the bridge from the Weather Institute. If I had just waited five more minutes… if I had slept a little longer, or maybe if I had slept a little less…

"Hey, May, good to see you," he greeted, and I smiled at him. Maybe courtesy would get him to leave. "How are you?"

"I'm good, Brendan. How are you?"

He grabbed a Poké Ball off his belt and gave me a toothy grin. "Good, but I'd be better if I beat you in a battle for once."

* * *

**40. Another Day**

_Finally_, I made it to Fortree…

Brendan didn't get his wish to win the battle, but even I had to admit that he had gotten better. And he had been nice enough to give me a parting gift in the form of another HM. I stuck it in my bag pocket with the rest, running my fingers along the smooth edges of the rest. Steven Stone's TM was still right in front.

I settled into the Pokémon Center, slumping down into a chair. I was eager to challenge the gym, but I would wait until the rain stopped this time.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Sorry, this chapter was kind of boring. But if it's any consolation, Steven'll be back in the next chapter.

It's actually kind of nice to update something so frequently, considering I can get slow at updates (um, I'm pretty sure I have a fic I haven't updated since September, but I will say that is an anomaly). I wonder if it's annoying for you as readers, though, or do you like the daily updates?

Either way, a week from today, updates will cease for a couple of weeks, so you'll have a break from me, hehe.


	11. 41 to 44

**41. Unique**

The rain stopped later that afternoon, and I emerged in the humid weather not long after that. The sun had started to make its descent, which didn't give me much time to make it over to the gym.

Fortree was unlike any town I had ever seen before. Perched in the trees were houses and bridges, and as I climbed up the ladder into the foliage, I forced myself to keep looking forward instead of down.

It was actually beautiful, though, since the blossoms were starting to fall from the trees. It had to be truly something to live here.

* * *

**42. Dissuasion**

The gym sat hidden amongst the trees on the ground, which I thought might be another tactic used to dissuade trainers from challenging the leader. It was difficult to find.

That wasn't the only thing to stop a challenger like me. I climbed down the ladder, making sure not to look at the drop, and started for the gym, only to be tripped by some invisible force.

Tripped… and then blown backwards into a tree.

"Ow," I muttered, rubbing my head. There was definitely nothing in the path.

When I tried again, I was met with the same painful result.

* * *

**43. Frustration**

I asked some of the townspeople if they knew what was going on, but no one seemed to understand what I was talking about. All I got from people was some weird looks.

Damn… I could always try again later, although the road to the next gym was another long one, and I needed the Fortree badge in order to legally use Fly…

Without much of a choice, I walked into Route 120, hoping that maybe I would find some sort of hint there. Or _something_.

Well, it wasn't much of a hint, but Steven Stone would have to do.

* * *

**44. Setting Sun**

His back was turned to me, like the first time we met, and he apparently couldn't hear my footsteps over the sound of the river below us.

"Um…" I began awkwardly. "Um, hello! Steven Stone!"

He jumped, but when he looked over his shoulder at me, he smiled. "It's May! See? I told you I would remember your name."

My cheeks began to burn, but that had to just be the sun… even though it was hidden behind the trees now.

"Here, come look at this," he suggested, holding his hand out towards me. "I want to show you something."

* * *

**Author's Note:** I find that making flying an issue of legality is a reasonable excuse for why people can't just hop on their birds' backs and take off.


	12. 45 to 48

**45. Holding Hands**

I stared at his hand before hesitantly slipping mine into it, but he didn't hold it like I thought he would. Instead, he flipped my hand in his and held it out, reaching it forward until my palm bumped into something scaly.

Steven's grip on my hand was gentle even as I flinched. I turned my face slightly to look at him, and although he kept a reasonable distance from me, I could see his every eyelash. They were surprisingly long.

"What is it?" I asked, referring to the invisible thing.

He grinned a little mischievously. "Let me show you."

* * *

**46. Invisible**

Steven helped me pull this bulky visor thing over my head, and when I looked towards the invisible thing, I jumped backwards in surprise.

It was a Pokémon, a little reptile, and it was no longer invisible—at least not to me.

"Steven," I whispered, tugging on his sleeve.

He was laughing at me, and his attempt to cover that fact up by covering his mouth with his hand was ridiculous. Rude…

Once he composed himself, he noted, "It will show itself in battle when provoked. Are you and your Pokémon ready for a battle?"

Game time. "I'm always ready."

* * *

**47. Aftermath**

"Your battle style is very unique," Steven informed me, which was a nice change from being told I battled like my dad. We sat on the edge of the bridge now, our legs dangling. "I like to see trainers and Pokémon trying their best. That's why I like you so much."

I reached for the pocket on my bag automatically, but I forgot that I set the bag off to the side when we sat down.

"I should go." Steven pushed himself up and put a hand on my head. "You can keep that Devon Scope. Be seeing you, May."

* * *

**48. Accident**

Oh, no.

I… I thought he was pretentious, didn't I? Didn't I blame Steven Stone for everything bad that had happened throughout my journey—my inability to turn down a favor, my constant pursuit of Team Magma? I _blamed_ him.

It was an accident. I didn't mean to think about him as often as I did, and I certainly didn't mean to grow so dependent on that stupid TM still sitting in my bag.

The weight of his hand still lingered on my head.

When was I going to see him again? How many days?

How long until tomorrow came?

* * *

**Author's Note:** I threw in that line that's in the ORAS screenshot/trailer/whatever that is causing a bit of a stir (at least for those of us who ship Steven/May)—the one where Steven says, "That's why I like you so much." I had to do it.

I wonder how they'll change Steven's involvement now that he's doing something with the Mega Stones…


	13. 49 to 52

**49. Wishes of Grandeur**

As it turned out, meeting Steven on that bridge was the most helpful coincidence yet. A Kecleon was keeping me from entering the gym, although by the time I cleared it out of the way, the gym was closed.

The next morning, I woke up bright and early and headed down to the gym. By noon, I was off to Lilycove, where there was no gym at all, though I could sit and relax a little.

But I dreamt of grandeur, of the peace I couldn't have. Team Magma was my roadblock, taking everything before I could even reach it.

* * *

**50. Rest in Peace**

It was one thing to disrupt the peace of the living, but to disrupt the peace of the dead was a whole different issue.

They were monsters; that was what I decided. So when Maxie turned around and looked at me with disgust as he groaned, "Not you again," I had every intention to throw that back in his face.

"The Blue Orb is mine," he bragged. "It's time to move this plan into motion. Let's move! We've got a submarine to commandeer."

* * *

**51. Winners and Losers**

Flying would be a lot more fun if I wasn't rushing to stop some environmental extremists from stealing a submarine.

I jumped off my Altaria and ran towards the crowd of people surrounding the harbor.

"Excuse me! Let me through!" I shouted as I pushed through the crowd. "I need to—"

I stopped when I saw a beaming Stern and a TV crew. _Phew_. Everyone was okay. They hadn't—

"Thank you, Captain Stern," an amplified voice boomed from inside the dock, "for that endearing telecast. But we'll be taking the submarine."

No… I was wrong. Team Magma beat me.

* * *

**52. Commiseration**

I burst into the harbor a little too late; Maxie had his head poked out of the submarine, and he saluted as Captain Stern entered the harbor behind me.

"I commiserate with you, May. All the effort that you put into following us… _wasted_." Maxie laughed, and I reached a hand slowly towards a Poké Ball. Maybe if I caught him off guard… "Feel free to follow us again back to the Lilycove hideout. We've already won, anyway."

The hatch slammed above him once he vanished into the hull. And before I could move, the vessel sank into the water.

* * *

**Author's Note:** We're halfway through, assuming that my total is 100.

I feel like this story has taken an unexpected turn in the coming chapters, where everything is much more connected than in the earlier chapters. I hope you're all still enjoying this, anyway. Please let me know what you think if you feel like sharing.


	14. 53 to 56

**53. Red Orb**

I wasn't exactly unarmed. The old man and woman at the summit of Mt. Pyre entrusted me with the Red Orb, and even though I didn't know what it did, I felt as though it had some untold power within it.

"They should never be separated," the old couple warned me when Maxie ran off with the Blue Orb, but it was too late for that.

What was about to happen? Maybe this was getting a bit too out of control for an eighteen-year-old to handle.

I didn't have a choice anymore. I was the one with the Red Orb.

* * *

**54. Wild Goose Chase**

Sneaking into the Magma hideout wasn't nearly as difficult as it should have been, but Maxie had been the one to invite me, after all.

None of the grunts presented a challenge. They were weak, which I mentally attributed to their poor morals, even though there probably wasn't a correlation at all.

I had a feeling that this was no mistake, though. Everything about this place seemed deliberate, like I was being sent on a wild goose chase.

I didn't have the luxury to be too late… I had to make it in time…

But I wouldn't, and I didn't.

* * *

**55. Loose Screw**

The admins were certainly a step above the grunts, and Tabitha was no exception. But that didn't mean that he was any challenge, though he had promised not to toy with me—not that I would trust his word.

Courtney laughed at me, too, when she lost… There was a screw loose in these people, and as Tabitha exploded into giggles, I wondered if I should get out of here before something worse happened.

They planned on murdering us all, anyway.

"Too late," Tabitha hissed between giggles. "The boss is gone to the underwater cavern! You'll never find him now."

* * *

**56. Panic**

It seemed counterproductive to aim for another gym badge when Team Magma was onto the next step of their plan, but I couldn't use Dive without getting it—not that I had the HM, but that was another issue.

The longer I waited, the longer the Red and Blue Orbs were separated, and the sooner that doom could meet us all.

I sped towards Mossdeep, anxiety finally settling, and I gripped that stupid pocket on my bag like a stress ball.

Steven… Would he know what to do? How many more days would it be until I saw him again?

* * *

**Author's Note:** Oh, if only you knew, May. If only you knew…

I'm going to be posting the next update early tomorrow because I'm going to a concert tomorrow night. Just a heads up. But feel free to read and review both this one and the next even if the updates are close together. ;)


	15. 57 to 60

**57. Tomorrow**

Tomorrow was not always close.

Mossdeep was beautiful at sunset, although I didn't have the luxury of time to spend exploring the island. But I was so exhausted by the time I reached the shore that I knew any attempt to fight the gym leaders would be wasted.

I crashed at a Pokémon Center like I always did, but sleep avoided me like the plague—I tossed and turned on the couch, trying not to think about what Team Magma was up to but unable to think of anything else.

No, sometimes tomorrow felt like it could be days away.

* * *

**58. Defeated**

The gym badge was useless without the HM for Dive… what the hell was I supposed to do now? I could always buy some scuba diving equipment, but I certainly didn't have that kind of money just sitting around—at least, I didn't have it if I wanted to eat.

I wandered down from the gym feeling defeated even though I had won. Was I going to have to give up? But I had the Red Orb…

The silver hair that I knew so well caught my eye as I turned the corner to go to the Pokémon Center: Steven.

* * *

**59. Evidence**

I didn't have time for a detour. I needed to find a way to get to the underwater cavern, not satisfy my illogical desire to talk with a guy I had only met, what, three times?

It was the first time I had seen him in something other than a suit. Somehow this served as sufficient reasoning to talk to him.

"Steven!"

He looked up from gardening, waving when he saw me. "Hey! It's been awhile."

"You live here?" I wondered, but it was a stupid question unless he just felt like weeding people's gardens.

"Yeah. Want to come in?"

* * *

**60. Simple**

Steven's house was, in a word, plain. In fact, it kind of looked like no one lived in it at all. He had a couple of chairs in his living room—and that was about it.

"This is kind of embarrassing." When I looked at him, sure enough, he was blushing.

Damn.

"It's nice."

He chuckled. "I appreciate that, but you can be honest." When I shook my head, he smiled at me. "I was just thinking about you—I have something for you."

When he held out the gift, I was pretty sure tears started pouring from my eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Steven's a stalker—he always gives the player exactly what he/she needs when needed. Coincidence? I think not!

And whaddaya mean Steven doesn't garden in his suit? He does everything else in it!


	16. 61 to 64

**61. Gratitude**

"Well, if you really don't like it, then I can give it to someone else," Steven said in a mockingly offended tone, and I wiped the tears from my eyes.

"No, no, please. I'll gratefully accept it." I took the disk—the second one he had given me—from him and stared at it. "You've really saved me…" I whispered.

He leaned towards me. "What?"

I took a step back. "O-oh… just… thank you. For always helping me out, I mean. You're always doing that."

He didn't retreat like I thought he would but instead leaned closer. "Is everything okay?"

* * *

**62. Pressure**

Truthfully, even though I had accepted the fact that I was the one who had taken on the duty of stopping Team Magma, I couldn't help but feel that I was shouldering this alone.

Everything built up at once—the fact that I had no friends here, the fact that I was just a visitor at home now, the fact that I was chosen to carry the Red Orb all by myself…

Nothing Steven Stone could do could change the fact that I alone carried the burden of saving everyone. And that was a tremendous amount of pressure to bear.

* * *

**63. Pretense**

In the end, I couldn't share my insecurities with him. I just forced a smile at him and nodded. "Everything's fine."

"Well…" Steven hesitated, his usual smile replaced with a frown. "I'm afraid that I'm leaving tomorrow, but if you ever need help, I'm sure my dad would lend a hand."

I didn't want help from his _dad_, but I would never say that.

"That's all right. I… I've got stuff I need to take care of, too, so I should probably go."

I started for the door, stopping only when he said my name. "May… I'll see you soon."

* * *

**64. To Be Free**

Diving below the sea's surface let me finally enter into a serene place. I was at ease below the waves, the water around me making me seem weightless and in peace.

I relaxed for the first time in a long time, allowing myself be carried along the sand and remembering what it was like to be free.

I recalled making my wish when I blew out those candles on my birthday like it was yesterday: I wanted to be the strongest trainer in Hoenn, the Champion.

When all of this was said and done, maybe I'd finally get my chance.

* * *

**Author's Note: **One of the challenges I face writing this is that I already have a "game-verse" May/Steven fanfiction (_Daddy Dearest_). So, I have to bring something new to the table. Anyway, I hope it's going all right, haha.

Also, at the risk of making this author's note longer than the chapter itself, haha… I'm leaving for vacation tomorrow, so this is the last update for a couple of weeks. Updates should resume immediately when I return, so keep an eye out for that (or follow the story to get the email, hehe). I'll still be able to respond to reviews, I think, so feel free to leave one!

Thanks for reading so far! See you in a couple of weeks!


	17. 65 to 68

**65. Façade**

I burst above the waves without having found anything below them. For a moment, I forgot that I could breathe underwater, and I didn't need to gasp for air like I had just been holding my breath for five minutes.

But it was true that I could only stay below the surface for so long before the carbon dioxide I exhaled replaced the clean air I could inhale. Though, I still had some time before that happened.

I bobbed on my Swampert's back, wiping my damp eyes with wet hands. It was funny… the seawater never actually touched my face.

* * *

**66. Seafloor Cavern**

This time when I dove underwater, I found the cavern. It wasn't far from Mossdeep, though I still happened upon it only by chance.

The submarine—it was there, so I knew I was in the right spot…

Time was of the essence. I didn't have time to figure out how I was going to get this sub back to Captain Stern.

I surfaced again, this time finding myself in front of the seafloor cavern, which wasn't, in fact, on the seafloor at all. I peered into the cave, and Team Magma's flashy uniform was the first thing I saw.

* * *

**67. Clockwork**

The cave was a maze, but not like those easy ones in kids' magazines. The only thing that told me I was going in the right direction was the fact that I kept stumbling upon new grunts—and then, eventually, Courtney.

She giggled through the whole battle again, but I had the last laugh. If she was here, that meant I was close, and that meant I still had time.

But no matter how much time I thought I had, the clock kept ticking… tick, tock, tick, tock.

I couldn't stop time from flowing, and Maxie was a step ahead.

* * *

**68. Monster**

I hadn't noticed that the dampness of the cave was slowly being replaced with a hot humidity, like the water seeping through the floor was evaporating and failing.

But when I crawled through a opening in the rock wall, the heat hit me like an inferno. All of a sudden, sweat dripped off me like rain.

I stood up, light from what had to be fire filling the space, and I wasn't incorrect—within this cavern was a magma pit, like Mt. Chimney.

I fell back onto the ground when I noticed the figure in the middle of the caldera.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I'm back! Hi, everyone! I hope the break didn't feel too long for you. I'll fill you in on what I was up to during my vacay—I went to Ireland! It was very nice, but I'm glad to be back (and very tired right now since I just returned today and my body is still in Ireland-mode).

Any readers from Ireland?

I appreciate the new follows and favorites I got while I was gone (and, of course, the reviews)! Thanks, everyone! Back to daily updates!


	18. 69 to 72

**69. Blood-Hungry**

"Amazing, isn't it?"

I pushed myself back up and stared at Maxie, whose eyes were glazed over with what could be either wonder or lunacy as he stared at the monster in the lava pit.

"When I heard someone found us, I knew it would be you, but you made it here frustratingly fast." He turned his gaze on me, and any wonder was lost.

"Don't do this, Maxie," I warned, holding my hands up cautiously in front of me.

"You've gotten us time and time again. No more. This time, the only way you'll leave this place is dead."

* * *

**70. Death**

Just the threat of murder was enough to make my life flash through my eyes.

If Maxie succeeded, I wasn't the only one who was going to end up dead, so maybe it was selfish of me to think only of myself. But I recalled that I hadn't told my parents goodbye, and I never even made it to the Champion.

And then there was Steven Stone, who told me he would see me again soon. Tomorrow was an eternity away.

I wasn't dead yet, though. I could still pull through, even if I was just an eighteen-year-old Delivery Girl.

* * *

**71. Desperation**

I had been conscious of the fact that I fought like my dad ever since Flannery told me. Even though Steven told me I had a unique style, and that had been reassuring, I didn't think I had completely come into my own yet.

This battle was the first time every limit was tested, and it felt desperate and different.

Maxie didn't play—he wanted me dead and out of the way. But, like my life depended on it—and it did—I fought just as hard for myself.

Only one would be victorious, and that one would be me.

* * *

**72. The Ancient**

Maxie covered his face with his hand and laughed, though any humor was lost on me. "I'll admit that you're gifted. But I have—"

The Blue Orb was barely out of his pocket before it began shining. I shielded my eyes, though the light was temporary. When I lowered my hand and saw the monster in the caldera moving, I gasped and stepped back against the wall of the cave.

Groudon…

It didn't stick around to give us a show. Instead, it stood tall and pulled itself out of the volcano, where it vanished into the world above us.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Don't even tell me that a giant ancient scary-looking monster like Groudon wouldn't scare the daylights out of you.

I've been having issues enjoying reading lately, like with trying to find books that actually interest me. I hadn't read a _new_ book in probably a year or so, but I finally read a book and enjoyed it during my trip. I forgot how much I enjoyed reading. So, if you're enjoying reading this, I'm really happy for you, and I also thank you for giving it a chance!


	19. 73 to 76

**73. Downhill**

"I don't… understand…"

I got over the shock pretty damn quickly when I heard Maxie mutter those words. I gritted my teeth and grabbed a handful of his shirt, spinning him around and slamming him into the wall. "What the fuck do you mean you don't understand? You don't know what you just did?"

Oh, I was angry enough at Team Magma as it was—but Maxie didn't even know what he was _doing_!

"I'm supposed to be able to control it."

Things couldn't get much worse; there was just no way that things could ever get any worse…

* * *

**74. Mistake**

A hand slipped around my wrist, which forced me to loosen my grip on Maxie. Archie, of whom I wasn't much fonder, shook his head.

"May, don't."

Maxie straightened his jacket, but he was interrupted by something and pressed his ear. "_What_?" he barked, seemingly speaking to no one, but he must have had communication with someone all along. "What do you mean it's _too_ hot? Well, just stay up there and monitor the situation. I'll be there soon."

"Look what you've done," Archie chastised. "If this continues, drought will eliminate all the ocean, and everyone and everything will perish."

* * *

**75. Heat**

If I thought it was hot in the cave by the molten pit, I didn't know how to describe the blistering heat outside.

I had barely been out for a moment before sweat began dripping down my face, and I shielded my eyes to look towards the sky. It was blindingly bright, and I didn't dare look at the sun.

It was as if every ounce of water I had left in my body had evaporated; soon, I wasn't even sweating anymore.

What had Maxie wrought upon us? By the time I looked at him for answers, he was gone.

* * *

**76. The Voice in My Head**

I didn't know if the haze in front of my eyes was from the evaporating ocean around me or if it was my head, but the heat was too intense for me to care.

I stumbled forward towards the edge of the little island, and when I reached for a Poké Ball, I fell forward onto my knees. I couldn't see anything… it was too hot, too bright…

"May! May, get up!"

And now I was hallucinating… Great.

A shadow settled in front of me, and something—a hand, perhaps—touched mine. "May, it's me, Steven. Can you hear me?"

* * *

**Author's Note: **May's getting serious in that first drabble, wow.

Somehow, the situation with Kyogre and the world flooding is more believable to me, haha. Ah, well, trying something different by going the Ruby way.


	20. 77 to 80

**77. Warning**

Water dribbled into my mouth, and some down my chin, and I blinked and shook myself back into reality. Steven Stone held a water bottle in front of me with a panicked expression, but when I wiped my chin, his face relaxed.

"Are you all right?"

I nodded, unsure if I could actually get my voice to work.

"I was looking into the situation in Sootopolis when I saw you." He looked up towards the sky, shielding his face with one hand. "If we don't do something…" The words were too horrible to say. "Don't do anything reckless, May, please."

* * *

**78. Reckless**

He gave me the rest of his water and then flew off. I noticed that he checked over his shoulder a couple of times, perhaps making sure that I was good on my word not to do anything reckless, so I waited until he was out of sight to follow him.

I didn't care what he said—this wasn't really "reckless". I was the one with the Red Orb. If the Blue Orb had made Groudon go berserk, then maybe its partner would be able to calm the beast.

Steven would forgive me for this later, I just knew it.

* * *

**79. White Light**

It was impossible to see anything at all in Sootopolis. The white rock that made its foundation reflected the amplified light from the sun in all directions, and it hurt my eyes to keep them open for too long. It was too bad I didn't own sunglasses.

I had lost Steven as he descended into the city, but I had a hunch that the Cave of Origin held answers. After downing the rest of the water that he gave me, I forced myself through the heat towards the cave.

My skin burned, and my eyes hurt. When would this end?

* * *

**80. The Pleasure Is Mine**

Steven didn't look pleased to see that I tailed him, which was a bit of a disappointment considering how happy he usually appeared to see me.

"You came. Are you feeling all right?" He was clearly hoping that I would say no.

"I'm fine," I assured him.

"Well… okay. Come meet my good friend, Wallace. He's the gym leader here in Sootopolis, and he might have an idea about how to stop this."

I barely walked two feet forward before a man in a ostentatious outfit rushed towards me and pointed to my hand. "That… that is the Red Orb."

* * *

**Author's Note:** If there is a word to describe Wallace, it's definitely "ostentatious".

I've been sending queries to agents for my new novel in hopes of getting it published. I do not wish this pain on anyone, haha. Writing queries is not at all fun!


	21. 81 to 84

**81. Dawning**

I had been holding the Red Orb since I landed in Sootopolis, hoping that it might start shining like the Blue Orb if I got close to Groudon.

When I looked at Steven, his jaw was slack, like realization of something he should have known all along had just set in.

"Come with me," Wallace ordered, and I started after him. I—no, my eyes—wished he wasn't wearing white…

Steven was right behind me, and I slowed my steps to be just that much closer to him. After all, this could be the last time I ever saw him.

* * *

**82. Irony**

"It's funny." Steven's voice, even as he said this, was dry, probably more from the heat than anything else. "Every living thing needs sunlight to survive, but… this sunlight has the power to kill us. The heat will spread, first to the rest of Hoenn, and then to the rest of the world. Who can say how much time we have?"

I slowed my pace even more until I walked right alongside him and, in a moment of confidence, slipped my hand into his.

All I could do now was count the minutes and hours until I saw him again.

* * *

**83. Final Words**

_You'll be okay. If it's you and your team, you'll be okay._

Steven's final words echoed in my head as I maneuvered through the Cave of Origin, the cave of legend which no one was to enter. But here I was, in an ancient and sacred place, thinking about how those could be the last words I ever heard from anyone.

"I'm scared," I admitted to myself as I walked. "I'm scared, but I can do this. My parents are waiting for me to come home… The world _needs_ me to succeed."

_You'll be okay._

I hoped he was right.

* * *

**84. Quakes**

As I walked further into the cave, the ground began to sporadically shake. It wasn't as long or as powerful as an earthquake, so I suspected that Groudon had something to do with it.

One shake was strong enough to knock me off my feet, and the Red Orb flew out of my hands and rolled along the ground. "Damn it!" I shouted and ran after it, only to pick it up and proceed to fall down through the floor.

When I stood up, there was something there to greet me.

"Groudon…"

And then the Red Orb began to glow.

* * *

**Author's Note: **So, I'm just about to finish writing the last of the drabbles (I'm not sure if I feel like doing it today because I'm totally putting it off), and I figured I would update you to let you know where we're at. There will be 140 drabbles, for a total of 35 chapters, which (assuming I can update every day, and I think I can) brings us to July 23rd for the final update. Not bad. Two more weeks of updates.


	22. 85 to 88

**85. Options**

Groudon moved towards me, the ground quaking with its every step. But I stood my ground, and the light of the Red Orb finally faded.

"Hello," I greeted the ancient Pokémon, and it roared in response.

There were only two ways I could think of to stop the drought outside caused by Groudon: I could defeat it and send it back to its eternal slumber… or I could capture it and tame it.

For the first time in awhile, I found myself gripping the pocket of my bag, and I exhaled slowly.

They didn't call me Delivery Girl for nothing.

* * *

**86. Relief**

Five of my six Pokémon had been knocked out by the behemoth, and my Swampert wouldn't be able to handle much more. Groudon, though, was equally as exhausted.

It was now or never.

I grabbed an empty Ultra Ball from my bag and held it to my lips. "_Please_," I whispered. With all of my strength, I whipped it towards Groudon and watched the monster disappear within it.

The Ultra Ball wobbled on the cave floor once… twice… three times…

_Click_.

The quakes subsided at once, but I fell to the floor anyway and wiped the tears from my eyes.

* * *

**87. Reemergence**

When I emerged from the cave, I was hit with the brightness of daylight, but it wasn't as bright as it had been. The air had cooled, and there was a breeze that hadn't existed in Groudon's drought.

Everyone had come out of their homes, and they were staring at the sky and laughing with their neighbors.

But despite the fact that everyone was out in the streets, Steven wasn't there. Where was he?

I pushed through the crowds, smiling as strangers waved at me, but the only person that mattered was the one standing in front of the gym.

* * *

**88. Indirect**

The island that was home to the gym was small and empty, so when I made my way over to Steven, it was just the two of us. My heartbeat quickened with every step I made towards him.

He met me halfway, pulling me into his chest and holding me there for a moment. When I got past my shock, I wrapped my arms around him and curled my fingers into his suit jacket.

"Sorry," Steven said once he let go of me, and he cleared his throat. "Wallace sends his thanks…"

Oh, _did_ he?

I smiled. "You're welcome, Wallace."

* * *

**Author's Note: **She's lucky. It takes me, like, twenty-five Ultra Balls to capture the legendaries, I swear. More trouble than they're worth.


	23. 89 to 92

**89. Peace of Mind**

It was another question of how long it would be until I saw Steven again, but I decided that it was all part of the fun. I _would_ see him again someday, and the wait would be worth it.

For now, it finally seemed that peace had befallen us. Maxie had learned his lesson, or so I believed, so I wouldn't have to deal with Team Magma's antics for a long time.

Now I was getting back on track again, my dream to be Champion in the forefront of my mind. And after everything, Wallace wasn't much of a challenge.

* * *

**90. Secrets**

"Yeah, the League. I'm heading there now."

One of the problems with being on the road was that it was pretty much impossible for my parents to contact me. I didn't have a phone, so I relied on the payphones at Pokémon Centers. Even those were starting to become more unusual to find, like relics.

It was largely a mystery about what happened with the sun that day, and I didn't go around advertising what truly happened. For now, my parents didn't need to know.

"Good luck, May! Be safe!"

If only they knew the danger I had already faced…

* * *

**91. Victory Road**

Even after everything I had been through—all of the dangers I had faced from both people, Pokémon, and the rugged environment itself—I could admit that Victory Road was no joke.

It wasn't for the faint of heart, that was for sure. Everyone I met within the cave had the same dream I did, and all of them had come just as far as I.

Any one of us could make it to the Champion—and any one of us could make it and still lose.

All I wanted was to be more than the Delivery Girl for once.

* * *

**92. Ironic**

Ever Grande City was beautiful, and the conference hall was no exception. It was strange to think that if Team Magma had succeeded, none of this would have existed anymore.

There was some irony to the fact that this place was so breathtaking—with the flowers and the architecture and waterfalls and cliffs—and it could serve as the end of the road to people's hopes. It resembled a dream, but it could be a nightmare in disguise.

No matter what happened in there, I wouldn't lose hope.

Stepping forward, I pushed the doors to the hall open and entered.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I actually think that the Hoenn Elite Four is one of the most challenging, which, if you've been following me for awhile, you probably knew that already. Maybe it's just me. Somehow I always ended up under-leveled.


	24. 93 to 96

**93. Dark**

I didn't what to expect walking into the room of the first Elite Four member, but it certainly wasn't this.

Sidney, the Dark-type specialist of the Elite Four, wasn't anything like what his preferences might indicate. He wasn't the brooding, uninterested man one might expect, but when I walked into the room, he spread his arms and greeted me like I was a queen.

And he was equally as enthusiastic when he lost.

"Ah, I lost. But, you know, that was fun, so it doesn't matter!" He grinned at me and winked. "You've got what it takes to make it."

* * *

**94. Ghost**

Phoebe, whose appearance really didn't match her personality, was definitely spooky, just like the Ghost-type Pokémon she commanded. "I trained on Mt. Pyre while growing up and developed the ability to commune with my Pokémon," she told me.

Communicating with Pokémon? How was I supposed to beat that? I… I wouldn't deny that I shared something special with my team, but…

_But_… I trusted my team; they had done so much for me.

It was the bond I shared with them that Phoebe first commented on when she lost. "Yup, I'd like to see how far your bond brings you."

* * *

**95. Ice**

In contrast to Sidney, who was nothing at all like the type of person who might prefer Dark-types, Glacia certainly had an icy personality. She stared me down as I walked into her room, her eyes slightly narrowed.

"My name is Glacia. You're not weak like the others who dared to challenge me, are you?"

Surprised, especially since both Sidney and Phoebe had been so pleasant, I stumbled over a response. "Uh, I don't think so…"

She rolled her eyes, and my fingers curled into a fist. "I would love to go all out against you. Don't let me down."

* * *

**96. Dragon**

I didn't. But I was starting to get so excited that I was afraid that I might let _myself_ down. I couldn't let these victories get to my head now…

I cooled my head, breathing in and out slowly as I battled the last of the Elite Four, Drake. He was calm, which was more of a gift than I could ever want.

And then the battle was over, as peacefully as falling asleep.

"What trainers need is a virtuous heart, and you have that," Drake assured me, and I nodded. "The Champion is waiting for you. Best of luck."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Yeah, May, best of luck not having a conniption when you walk in there and find out who the Champion is…

I hope this chapter wasn't a disappointment to anyone. Those of you who have read my other fanfics will know that I absolutely hate writing battle scenes—and my new readers, now you know. So, hopefully I didn't let you down.


	25. 97 to 100

**97. The Long Road**

The hallway leading to the Champion's room was long, probably intentionally so, and my nerves only got worse with every step.

This was it—this was the moment that I had been working towards since I left on my journey over a year ago, the moment that I saw in my dreams. I was going to face the Champion.

I stopped outside the door and slapped my cheeks, pulling my confidence back out again.

I could do this. I could _do_ this!

But when I stepped into the room and saw the man standing there, I wasn't so sure anymore.

* * *

**98. Champion**

"Hey, May," Steven greeted with a wave.

My jaw dropped. _Steven_ was the _Champion_? But… how could I not have known that? How could he not have told me?

All along… I had fallen for the _Champion_?

_Some rich kid from Rustboro_, my mom had said when my dad asked if I knew who the Champion was—and I had been stupid enough to refuse the answer. Rustboro was where his dad lived, so he must have grown up there before moving to Mossdeep…

How was I supposed to battle now?

No, I had no choice. I came to win.

* * *

**99. The Challenge**

"Hi, Steven," I managed to squeak, and I cleared my throat.

He just smiled, and I pulled myself out of the doorway and walked towards him. Somehow he had this ethereal aura now.

"I was looking forward to seeing you here one day, May. You have been through quite the ordeal, unfairly so, and for that, I apologize."

I wondered why he spoke so formally to me now… but he must have been as nervous as I was.

"But from all that, you've had experiences that have made you grow. I want to see it all."

And the battle began.

* * *

**100. New Confidence**

I realized as we began battling that it made no difference who the Champion was. It could have been my own dad, and it wouldn't have mattered. What mattered the most was the effort that I put into it and the bonds I shared with my team.

I liked Steven. He wasn't the presumptuous or patronizing person I originally pegged him as, but he was a kind and helpful person who saw the best in me.

It would be an insult to him if I gave anything less than my best. At the end of the day, I'd be Champion.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Well, I reached my goal! I've written one hundred drabbles. Originally that was my intended stopping point, but obviously I'm not done yet. So, um, yeah. I'll keep the updates coming, haha.

I'm heading back up to my college to work at a camp this upcoming week, and the Internet situation is a little questionable since I'm not a student there anymore and the guest network is not great—not sure my laptop will get Internet.

That said, updates _should_ continue as planned (I'll get Internet somewhere, even if that means I need to go to the Panera down the road), I'm just not sure what time. They might be in the afternoon, maybe at night (for me, anyway). Just watch for those e-mails, I suppose. :)


	26. 101 to 104

**101. Victory**

When his last Pokémon fell, a Metagross that was so superbly trained that its reaction time to Steven's orders was far less than any of my team, I realized that I ought to feel _something_—like euphoria probably.

Instead, I forced my gaze downward, unable to look at Steven. I won… but at what price? What if he hated me now?

I winced at the sound of his approaching footsteps, but it was a gentle touch that lifted my chin.

Steven smiled at me. _Smiled_.

And when I saw that, I figured it was okay for me to smile, too.

* * *

**102. Emotions**

The feelings came in waves: first came the disappointment that Steven must hate me for dethroning him, but his smile disproved any hatred.

Next, excitement—like life filling my bones—took over, and I grabbed Steven's hand and jumped up and down like a little kid on Christmas. I squealed, and he laughed with me.

But after that, I realized that a champion shouldn't do that, so embarrassment with a blush replaced the excitement.

Finally, there came joy, just pure joy that could only come from a dream turned into reality and met. Tears overflowed, and Steven squeezed my hand.

* * *

**103. Disturbance**

When the door behind us opened, Steven's grip on my hand loosened, and I retracted mine away from his. Brendan burst into the room, and I distanced myself further from the old Champion.

"Hey, May! I heard from my dad that you were going to challenge the Champ, so I'm here to offer a bit of advice," Brendan declared, clearly as 'omniscient' as always.

"Oh." I glanced awkwardly at Steven, who looked to be stifling a chuckle. "I'm afraid I've already battled him."

Steven clamped a hand down on my shoulder, and Brendan's eyebrows shot up. "May's the new Champion."

* * *

**104. Reality**

It seemed so _real_ when Steven said it so plainly like that. _Champion_.

Brendan's mouth opened a little, his eyes flickering between Steven and me. "Ch-champion? You did it?" I grinned like a little girl bursting to reveal a secret.

The doors opened again, and Professor Birch entered the room. Would the visitors _never_ cease to come?

"See, Brendan?" Professor Birch shot a pointed look in his son's direction. "I told you there was nothing to worry about."

Having noticed my eagerness to go, Steven spoke next. "Ah, excuse us. There are a couple of things we need to do."

* * *

**Author's Note:** Geez, May and Steven were having a moment. What's with all the interruptions?

Forgive my oddly timed update. I don't think I'll have wi-fi in the apartment I'm staying at for the next four days, so I'm updating after my camp finishes at the school. Haha, it's the best I can do for now.


	27. 105 to 108

**105. Hall of Fame**

"Wha—? What things?" I questioned as I followed Steven into a shiny room with a mirrored floor; I tried not to stare at our entwined hands, but I couldn't help it.

I wanted to kiss him…

"This is the Hall of Fame," Steven explained. "We keep the records of the trainers and their teams here to honor them. We have to add you to the database before it's official."

"Oh." I bit my lower lip—mine was the name right after his, then…

We stopped in front of a large computer, and Steven gestured to the screen. "Go ahead."

* * *

**106. Escort**

"The days coming up for you will most likely be busy, but don't let it overwhelm you. I'm sure _you_ can handle it, anyway."

I nodded, hugging my arms more tightly around my Altaria. I was soaring just beside Steven, but it was still kind of difficult to hear him over the wind.

"I'm sure your parents will want to celebrate. You deserve it."

Again, I nodded. It was already a little overwhelming. Steven was escorting me home to explain everything to my parents, saving me that at least, but…

He wasn't always going to be there to help me.

* * *

**107. Celebration and Inebriation**

My parents broke out the champagne before I even made it into the threshold, and then they ushered Steven and me into the living room and forced glasses in our hands.

"To May! The newest Champion! Congratulations!"

Steven smiled at me and raised his glass. "Cheers," he agreed, and took a sip of the bubbly beverage.

I was more nervous now, sitting on the couch beside Steven drinking champagne, than I had been about coming home. So, I downed my drink, only to have it refilled, and downed another.

By the end of the night, my skin burned with drunkenness.

* * *

**108. Slip**

"We'll clean up," my mom insisted when Steven offered. "But… if you wouldn't mind helping May up the stairs? I'm not sure she could make it…"

Steven slid an arm around my waist and helped me up, my head rolling from exhaustion or maybe closeness. Each step pounded with my heart, but before I knew it, I was in my room.

"Bye, May. Congratulations."

I grabbed his tie as he turned. "I love you," I told him, and my hand slipped when I closed my eyes. I could've sworn I felt him catch it, but maybe I was already asleep.

* * *

**Author's Note:** Drunken confessions. Those always go over well.

So, uh, I guess I do have Internet at the apartment, BUT I kind of liked the earlier update time, I guess. Might as well keep it, haha. Sorry for all the confusion.


	28. 109 to 112

**109. The Aftermath**

My head pounded even before I opened my eyes, but the glare of the sun through my windows certainly didn't help. I had heard that the bubbly wasn't exactly good for a hangover, and considering this was my first one…

Wait. I remembered drinking—shit, had I gotten drunk with my _parents_ of all people?

No, Steven was there. Even worse.

But after that? I couldn't really remember what happened. Hopefully I hadn't done anything stupid.

I didn't want to get up. But I would have to face the day as the new Champion and everything that came with it.

* * *

**110. News to Me**

"So, your father and I didn't realize you already knew the Champion. Or should I say former Champion?" my mom commented with a bit of a sly grin that morning over breakfast. "The two of you seemed to be close."

"Close?" I repeated, and I began to fix my hair if only because it would distract her from my red cheeks. "Really? I mean, sure, we know each other…"

She shrugged. "But, you know, he seemed a bit put off by something when he left yesterday. Did you two fight?"

Panicked, I choked, "I… I don't remember." Because I didn't.

* * *

**111. Fame and Glory**

Word spread quickly. In the two weeks that followed my victory over Steven, I had been on the cover of eight magazines, done fourteen interviews, and received two marriage proposals in the fan-mail I had gotten so far.

It made me realize that I was an actual idiot for not realizing Steven was the Champion. With all of the buzz that came with it, how could I have missed it?

Of course, it all made sense by the third week. The buzz died down and with it my popularity.

Maybe now I'd finally have time to go see Steven again.

* * *

**112. Elusive**

I couldn't find him anywhere. We always had the habit of just running into each other, and I figured that it might happen again.

But even Wallace didn't know where he was. "Steven's always been elusive. Don't be offended. I'm lucky if I hear from him once every month or two."

It wasn't an answer that satisfied me. Steven wasn't at home, and I wasn't bumping into him…

What had I said to him that night? What sort of idiot did I become when I was drunk? I could only imagine…

How long was I expected to wait for him?

* * *

**Author's Note: **So close, and yet so far—so close again, yet further! It's life, let me tell you.


	29. 113 to 116

**113. The Letter**

In a moment of weakness, I twisted the knob on Steven's door and found it open. I hesitated in his doorway but entered his empty home, anyway.

There was a sealed note waiting for me on his desk.

_To May,_

_I've decided to do a little soul-searching and train on the road. I don't plan to return home for some time. I have a favor to ask of you. I want you to take the Poké Ball on the desk. Inside it is a Beldum, my favorite Pokémon. I'm counting on you. May our paths cross again someday._

_Steven Stone_

* * *

**114. The Last Goodbye**

I crumbled the paper in my hand and snatched the Poké Ball off the desk.

"Bastard…" I hissed, throwing the letter to the floor and stomping out of his house.

Sober, I wasn't an idiot, even if I was when drunk. His words weren't literal—I could read between the lines. This Beldum was a goodbye present, a symbol that, if it was up to him, we would never meet again.

How could he decide things all by himself?

If he didn't want to, I couldn't force it. It would only be awkward and painful for me in the end.

* * *

**115. Brashness**

"You're the Champion? You're awfully young."

I spun a Poké Ball on my finger, staring at it rather than my challenger. It wasn't the first time this had been said to me.

"And you're awfully brash," I shot back, flicking the ball into the air and then catching it. "But I like my challengers a little fiery. Keeps things interesting."

My latest victim, because I already knew I wouldn't let this guy win, was a grey-haired middle-aged man. "I have a son your age, you know. You single?"

"Oh, yes, quite brash. I hope your son deals well with disappointment."

* * *

**116. Hit and Run**

It wasn't as if I was turning down every offer I got. Sure, when they came from middle-age men whose sons would be embarrassed if they knew what their folks were up to, I'd definitely turn those down.

But if Steven didn't want to meet me anymore, I wasn't going to wait around for him to fall out of the sky.

Maybe I just went on dates to put him out of my mind. Yet the more boys I met, the more I thought of Steven and how no one could ever compare.

How many days now? Would infinity end?

* * *

**Author's Note: **Steven, bro, you're missing your chance here.

I see May as being a very laid-back type of Champion. Where Steven was very formal when accepting challenges, May is super chill.


	30. 117 to 120

**117. One Hundred Fifty-Two**

I swung my legs back and forth, my hands gripping the edge of the ledge. "This isn't like you, Brendan."

He grinned, though there was something forced about it, yet another unusual thing. He knocked me playfully with his elbow. "It's not like you, either."

True. I wouldn't normally go out of my way to meet with _Brendan_, but when he asked out-of-the-blue, I did.

"I like you, May," he told me, and I lowered my gaze to the water below us. "Will you go on a date with me?"

It had been five months since then…

"Sure," I agreed.

* * *

**118. Two Hundred Seventy-Three**

"Wait, wait, wait!" I called, running after Brendan. Once I caught up with him, I latched myself around his arm and laughed. "You're cheating!"

Brendan chuckled, as cockily as ever, and exclaimed, "I did _not_ cheat!"

"You got a head start!"

"What are you, twelve? We're going shopping, not racing."

"You're the one who suggested it," I accused with a pout, and he grinned.

He swung me around into his arms, his face pulled close to mine. "Ah, well, will you ever forgive me?"

"That can be arranged."

He kissed me, but I had my eyes open the whole time.

* * *

**119. Four Hundred Sixty-Six**

"Twenty. Can't believe it." My mom wiped a fake tear from her eye, and I shook my head. "What time are you going with Brendan?"

"He said he'd be here soon." As if on cue, the doorbell rang. "Speak of the devil."

My mom ushered me away into the kitchen, and I heard her greet Brendan at the door. "So nice to see you, as always! But I'm afraid May's already left—said she had plans with a friend."

"What?" Brendan sounded confused, more so than angry.

I popped my head out of the kitchen. "Joking!"

He rolled his eyes.

* * *

**120. Five Hundred Seventeen**

I had been looking for excuses for a year. I knew that, and I was pretty sure that Brendan did, too. We always just sort of… managed.

"Our one year anniversary!" I shouted at him, jabbing a finger into his chest. "We've been talking about it for weeks!"

"I've been busy."

It had been seventeen months—five hundred seventeen days. And I still couldn't get Steven Stone out of my head.

"I have to go," I whispered, more to myself than to Brendan. "Sorry. I guess we're done. It's over."

"May, wait!"

But I was already halfway out the door.

* * *

**Author's Note:** May's nineteenth birthday would've been around the three-month mark, before even the first drabble in this section, so obviously I skipped that one. Just in case anyone questions why she went from eighteen to twenty, haha.

I find this chapter to be an interesting dynamic compared to the rest of the story, so I hope you do, too. It kind of juxtaposes her relationship with Brendan with her relationship with Steven. Anyway, had to conclude their relationship in a chapter so no one would hate me, haha. We're getting there, people, we're getting there.


	31. 121 to 124

**121. Privilege**

"Hello. I'm, um, here to see Mr. Stone."

I removed my hat, because it seemed like the polite thing to do, and twisted it in my hands. Of course, I realized after the fact that I probably had horrible hat hair.

"Do you have an appointment, hon?"

My eyebrows furrowed. "I didn't think I'd need one."

The receptionist looked up at me and sighed, as if she had had this conversation one too many times. "If you want to see Mr. Stone, you'll need an appointment."

"Just… tell him the Champion is here to see him."

She buzzed me in.

* * *

**122. Bubbly**

I didn't like to use that excuse, but—what the hell, it worked, and I really _was_ the Champion. I might as well use it to my benefit every once in awhile.

"May! It's a pleasure, an absolute pleasure!"

"Thank you, sir. It's been a long time."

Mr. Stone had gained weight, or more than before, anyway. But it worked for him, since his bubbly personality seemed to reflect in his bubbly appearance.

"What can I do for you, May?"

I sat down in the chair in front of his desk. "Mr. Stone, do you know where your son is?"

* * *

**123. ****Pteromerhanophobia**

The journey from Hoenn to Sinnoh was a long one by boat, and I had done enough waiting over the past year-and-a-half. So, I elected to take a plane, which… in retrospect, wasn't a great decision.

"Are you all right, miss?"

The stewardess leaned towards me, and I squeezed my armrest and nodded. "Oh, yeah. Peachy, really. Very. Promise."

"There's a bag in the seat pocket in front of you if you need it," the stewardess said, pointing to the pocket below the tray.

The man beside me looked horrified as I slipped the vomit bag out of the pocket.

* * *

**124. Reunited**

There was no point in going searching for Steven. He was bound to return to his villa, to which his father had thankfully given directions, before nightfall.

I leaned against the front door of his grandiose second home, which I didn't think suited his style. But what did I know?

I had only started to nod off when I heard footsteps. I perked up, squinting through the darkness at the approaching figure.

Shooting to my feet, I sprinted and threw myself at him, even though he went rigid with surprise when I did. "You… idiot!" I cried into his chest.

* * *

**Author's Note:** B-baka! It's not like I liked you or anything!

Luckily, May never had to use the barf bag, but that didn't stop the guy next to her from weeping silently for the duration of the flight.


	32. 125 to 128

**125. Standing Ground**

"M-May!"

"Ah!" I dropped my arms from around him and retreated, backing into his door with a hand curled against my lips. "Sorry."

Steven didn't look much different from the last time I saw him, but he didn't smile like he usually did when he saw me for the first time in awhile. That stung.

"What are you doing here?"

I didn't lower my gaze. I wasn't backing down. "I'm sorry for dropping in uninvited, but I just don't really feel like waiting anymore. I need to know what I said to you that night and why you ran away."

* * *

**126. Lies and Truth**

He placed a steaming cup of tea in front of me and sat in the seat across from me. I hadn't even put in sugar yet, but I swirled the spoon around in the hot beverage, anyway.

"I didn't run away, you know."

I laughed a little bitterly. "You did. _May our paths cross again someday_," I mocked, dropping my voice an octave or so. "Liar."

He frowned and took a sip from his own tea. "I meant that. How's the Beldum I left?"

"Metagross, actually."

Steven nodded. "You said that you loved me. That's what you said that night."

* * *

**127. This and That**

I had just taken my first sip of tea, but it didn't stay in my mouth long. Instead, I sprayed it all over the place, and Steven hurried to get napkins to dry off the table.

"I'm so sorry," I told him, soaking up the spilled tea with some napkins. "How embarrassing."

"This or that?" he joked, and I narrowed my eyes at him.

Well, it was hard to call one more embarrassing than the other. On the one hand, I could use the excuse that I was drunk on the night of the celebration…

"This," I said, "_and_ that."

* * *

**128. Running Reasons**

"That's not why I left, so don't go getting the wrong idea," Steven assured me, which _was_ kind of reassuring since, even though I was drunk when I told him how I felt, it was how I felt nonetheless. "I assumed that you thought your dad had brought you upstairs."

Well, that was kind of disappointing…

"And what if I _had_ meant it for you? Romantically?" I asked tentatively, holding the tea in my hands but not sipping it—I knew better. "Would you have run away?"

He stared at me for a moment and then shook his head. "No."

* * *

**Author's Note:** It _would've_ been kind of cute if Norman had brought May upstairs that night and May was like, "Aw, I love you, Daddy." But I see May and Norman as very closed about their feelings ("Conceal, don't feel, don't let them knooooow"). May might tell her mom she loves her openly but never her dad. If only Steven knew that ahead of time, we could've avoided this whole mess!


	33. 129 to 132

**129. Stay**

"So, you would've stayed?"

Steven pursed his lips, and his cheeks flushed slightly as he shifted in his seat. "I don't know, May." He was uncomfortable… this didn't bode well for me. "I'm just saying that you're not the reason I left. I had things that I needed to take care of."

"But what if I asked you to stay?" I stood up, my hands flat on the table. "You're the one who always said you hoped to see me again! Did you lie? All along?"

"Don't be selfish. I needed to take some time for myself. Just accept that."

* * *

**130. Selfishness**

He had never raised his voice at me before. To hear it now was like a slap in the face, and I sunk back into my chair.

It _was_ selfish to tie everything back to me. He wrote in his letter that he wanted to do some soul-searching, so why did I think it might be anything other than that?

Well, maybe I hoped that it had something to do with me—some hint that he might actually care, perhaps more than he wanted to.

"This was a mistake." I stood again, tears brimming. "Sorry for barging in on you."

* * *

**131. Heartbreak**

Heartbreak wasn't really something with which I was familiar. I spent a year of my life with Brendan, but I didn't shed a tear when we broke up.

The heart was a funny thing. In reality, it was just an organ pumping blood in the body, and the feelings we associated with it were psychological. The heart didn't create feelings; the brain did.

But my chest ached as I walked out of Steven's house, and I didn't imagine that.

I had dealt with a lot of things—Team Magma, the gym leaders and Elite Four… I hated this the most.

* * *

**132. Choices**

A hand slipped into mine just before I could grab a Poké Ball.

"Hold on a minute, May." Steven didn't swing me back around to face him, but he didn't let go of my hand, either.

"I hope we'll meet again," I sobbed, the sarcasm not really slipping through my tears.

He squeezed my hand. "It's complicated. I spend more time looking at rocks than talking to people—I don't like being in one place very long—I—"

"I get it."

"No, you don't. Of the things I love the most, I would always choose you over everything else."

* * *

**Author's Note: **Steven, my goodness. Ooh la la. Them is fighting words. Tongue-fighting. If you know what I mean.

Except, you know, he still left and chose rocks over her. But only because he's a bit dumb when it comes to girls and couldn't, you know, figure out that she was in love with him.


	34. 133 to 136

**133. Catalyst**

All I wanted to do was go exploring a little the first day I moved into Littleroot. I should've known all along that things were never that easy.

"Hey! I can hear someone shouting out there!" a little boy cried from the edge of the forest.

I didn't know him, but I felt an obligation to help.

I hurried into the forest, where a man in a lab coat had fallen to the ground, and a wild Pokémon bared its teeth at him.

There wasn't much of a choice. I grabbed the first Poké Ball I saw in his bag.

* * *

**134. Parallel**

Different choices created different paths in life, and while I wondered what the paths I didn't take might look like, I wouldn't say I would change anything.

Sure, maybe in another life I would have sent someone else to help Professor Birch, but if I had done that, I might not have gotten my Mudkip. How many other things would change from that?

If I was the passive type, would I have met Mr. Stone that cold day and, consequently, Steven?

Despite all of the hardships and bad things, I had to believe things always worked out in the end.

* * *

**135. Days Until Tomorrow**

"What?"

I turned to look at Steven, who still hadn't let go of my hand, and even in the darkness, I could see slight rosy pigmentation to his skin.

"I needed to sort things out…"

I bit my lip to force back the tears again, but I wasn't exactly successful. "I would count the days until I saw you again. I think I was in love with you by the third time we met."

For some reason, I didn't expect the smile. "Me, too."

"How many days should I count now?"

Steven brushed a tear away from my cheek. "None."

* * *

**136. The First Kiss**

My eyes were closed when he kissed me.

His hand didn't move from my cheek, nor did the other one ever let go of mine. It was a small move forward, not even steps to pull us together—because he was so much taller than me and needed to lean down, and I had to stand on my tiptoes.

It was fluid motion. We both moved at the same time; I dipped my head back, he leaned down, my eyes shut.

I grabbed his tie when he went to pull away. "Not yet," I whispered, and I kissed him again.

* * *

**Author's Note:** And readers everywhere go, "Finally, geez, only took you 136 drabbles across 34 chapters, damn it, Liz."

The next chapter is the last. Hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it. Until tomorrow! :)


	35. 137 to 140

**137. Sixty-Seven**

It wasn't that Steven lied, but realistically, it wasn't exactly possible for the two of us to see each other every day the way things currently were.

But we _did_ see each other at least once per week, which was more than I could ask. If I wasn't taking challengers, I was training, and if Steven wasn't looking for rocks, then he was going to other regions on business. Once a week was a blessing on our schedules.

When I missed him, my hand would find that pocket on my bag, and I'd remember that he wasn't so far away.

* * *

**138. One Hundred Forty-Four**

"Ah…" The woman challenging me put her hands on her knees and panted, but she still managed a sincere smile for me. "Ah, ha, ha, you're strong. How long have you been Champion?"

I put my hands on my hips, and my Swampert retreated to my side, rubbing against me. "Two years today, actually."

She laughed again, this time with a hand on her cheek. "That's a nice run. Looks like you might be here a lot longer, though."

"Well, I'll let you in on a little secret: today is also my last day as Champion. I've abdicated my title."

* * *

**139. Two Hundred Fifty-One**

"The villa sold."

I was mid-sip, so I hummed an acknowledgement. Steven picked up his own drink and took a sip, and we sat there staring at each other with straws in our mouths.

"Any good challengers lately?" I asked, exchanging my cup for a fry.

Truth was, being Champion had been a blessing. But by abdicating my title, Steven was reinstated, which meant that he would be around more. We had both agreed this was the best route.

"Few. How's your dad?"

"Good."

When we looked up at each other this time, we both snorted and burst out laughing.

* * *

**140. Three Hundred Ninety-Five**

A beep startled the two of us, and Steven checked his watch. "I have to go."

I sat up from my comfortable position lying across his lap and shifted so I was facing him. But he was already standing up and pulling on his suit coat. "Now?"

I followed him out the door, holding his hand as if that might keep him. When he was ready, he turned to me and kissed me—but there was always something about his goodbye kisses that left me wanting more.

"Until tomorrow," he assured me.

And, really, tomorrow wasn't all that far away.

* * *

**Author's Note:** I see Steven and May as a very relaxed couple, at least initially. Neither of them can really give up their lifestyles of being on the go and constantly traveling from one place to another, but they still want to be together. Eventually, once they've been together long enough, I think they would settle down, but until then, they have to sort of compromise to see each other. Hence why May abdicated.

This was fun—thank you to everyone who read to this point! I hope you enjoyed it. And if you're craving more Hoennchampionshipping, I have a lot of those fics, so be sure to check them out. (As well as many other fics for many different ships. Have a look if you feel like it.)


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